Restless | September 16, 2011 (limited)

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writer: Jason Lew
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Henry Hopper, Ryo Kase

What it’s about: Annabel Cotton is a beautiful and charming terminal cancer patient with a deep felt love of life and the natural world. Enoch Brae is a young man who has dropped out of the business of living, after an accident claimed the life of his parents. When these two outsiders chance to meet at a funeral, they find an unexpected common ground in their unique experiences of the world. For Enoch, it includes his best friend Hiroshi who happens to be the ghost of a Kamikaze fighter pilot. For Annabel, it involves an admiration of Charles Darwin and an interest in how other creatures live. Upon learning of Annabel’s imminent early passing, Enoch offers to help her face her last days with an irreverent abandon, tempting fate, tradition and even death itself. – Yahoo! Movies

Why we’re excited: Although “Restless” is garnering less than positive reviews, it stars the always brilliant Mia Wasikowska, who has has wowed us from the beginning, from standing out in the over-the-top and heavily CGI’ed “Alice in Wonderland” to a wonderful, nuanced performance in this year’s “Jane Eyre.” The premise of “Restless” remains intriguing to this writer, and we’re excited to see if newcomer Henry Hopper shows the kind of talent and versatility that dad Dennis utilized to maintain a long and successful career.

Trailer: